We’re thrilled to welcome Lauren Cullen to our instructor ranks, who will be teaching Illustrator I (online) beginning this spring quarter. Lauren is the graphic designer for UCLA’s Mobile Web Strategy group, where she designs mobile apps and responsive websites for UCLA’s academic and research communities. An illustrator and fine artist, she creates graphics across all media. Lauren received a B.A. from Wesleyan University as well as an Advanced Web and Interaction Design Certificate from UCLA Extension (yes, that’s us!).

Learn more about Lauren, in her own words:

Lauren Cullen

What brought you to this field?

I’ve always loved art and engaging in the experience of creating. I first discovered Photoshop and Illustrator in ninth grade, and there was no looking back. I became deeply immersed in understanding the ways that design can inform, transform, and inspire. Graphic design continues to be my passion, and I feel very fortunate to be in such a fulfilling field.

Tell us about an especially rewarding project you’ve worked on and why you enjoyed it so much.

I find that designing apps for medical research is especially rewarding. For example, at UCLA, I recently worked on an app that helps researchers assess asthma symptoms and related factors in children. The goal of the app is to help detect and prevent asthma attacks.

My contribution to the app included designing the user experience, icons, data graphics, and customized illustrations. It is always satisfying to design for meaningful projects that make a positive impact on people’s lives.

Why is your course, Illustrator I, important for my design education?

Illustrator is an essential design tool and the industry-standard vector graphics application. By learning the fundamentals from this course, students will be able to create icons, logos, drawings, typography, infographics, layouts, complex illustrations, and more for any medium. Students will learn more than just the tools that Illustrator has to offer – they will also be intellectually stimulated by learning key concepts and by learning approaches that prepare them for future experiences.

Do you have a sample assignment?

All projects will provide students with the opportunity to solve specific challenges by designing unique creations of their own vision. As an example, for the midterm project, students will design an infographic, developing a captivating narrative that visually communicates information or data. Students will use drawing and shape tools to represent trends. I’m excited to see what the students create!

It’s an honor to welcome new instructor, Greg Germann, to the Design Communication Arts program! Greg is an actor known for his work on film, television and Broadway. He’s a published playwright and has also written and directed for the theatre and television. He was honored to be invited twice be part of a goodwill trip traveling to Afghanistan to visit troops serving there. For over a decade he has had the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors for OPCC (now OPCC-LAMP) in Los Angeles, a visionary social service organization. For the past three years, he’s worked with TEDx UCLA as an advisor, assisting in speaker selection and preparation for the annual conference.

For the past three years I’ve helped prepare a range of speakers for the annual TED TALK held at UCLA. I’ve been able to work with artists, psychologists, archeologists, designers, activists and more, conceiving, crafting and honing their talks for the greatest impact.

Tell us about an especially rewarding project you’ve worked on and why you enjoyed it so much.

My work with TED speakers has made it clear that there are no limitations for what constitutes a ‘big idea’ that can change the world. TED speakers have talked about vulnerability, the brain, the heart, education, travel, planting trees, running, sleep, consciousness, what makes us laugh and cry and even life and death. It’s exciting to embrace the possibility that ‘ideas worth spreading’ take any shape and can be about any thing.

Why is your course, Talking for Impact, important for my Design education?

Everyone has a ‘TALK’ in them. The skills necessary in communicating these ideas makes all the difference. Using the model of a TED TALK is a powerful tool that will unearth the ‘big idea’ that lies in wait for each student in our class. As an actor, director and writer with a career in theatre, film and television my experience has taught me again and again that economy and empathy are just a few keys to connecting with and moving an audience.

TEDxUCLA speaker Victoria Young

The intentional weaving of passion, expertise and innovation insures that an entrepreneur pitching a new product, an archeologist sharing field observations, a designer promoting the value of a concept, a writer selling an idea, a lawyer making his/her case, an educator broadening a students understanding all will succeed in moving their listeners and changing their lives. I’ve seen the surprising impact speakers have on an audience when the idea expressed is concise and challenges the experts while still being understandable to a 5th grader. Speaking with impact results in provoking understanding and upending the expectations of your listener.

We’ll start simply and work our way to the ‘big idea’ that lies in wait for each student. The first step is recognizing the ‘big ideas’ that we encounter everyday. From the brilliance of a bumper sticker, a political slogan, branding, the power of a provocative 140 character Twitter post and even the unexpected impactful daily exchanges we have with our colleagues, friends and family. Students will identify these common examples illustrating how they meet the criteria, not just of a catchy slogan, but how they upend expectations, innovate and promote an idea worth sharing.

Do you have a sample assignment?

TEDxUCLA speaker Adi Jaffe

The Wisdom of the Twitter Feed:

In 140 characters or less articulate the “big idea” behind three varied areas of study or endeavor. Topics may range from, artworks; visual, performing arts and literature: To design; architecture, engineering and product design: To science and even the value of certain types of behaviors. Some of the most popular TED TALKS online are on the value of vulnerability, the power of introverts and the science of happiness.

One example is a devoted runner asked; Can running save our cities? His answer was his big idea; Building community with shared physical activity can change the world. The skill to articulate your vision in a sentence is one of the many tests of the viability and clarity of your vision.

Instructor Henry Mateo is known for going above and beyond the call for his students, and this past quarter was no different. Henry arranged for his Design II: Collateral Communication students to share their final projects at Brand Knew where notable guest critiquers from the LA design scene were on hand to give our students feedback.

Student Drew Fransler shared his work with us:

Name: Thirsty Spaniel Brewery & Public House

Drew says:

Thirsty Spaniel Brewery & Public House is exactly what it sounds like. The pub’s purpose is to drive business to its line of beers sold at liquor and grocery stores, which it does by offering beer flights and complimenting with a menu of updated classic pub fare. Its aim is to offer a great product and experience of authentic, high-quality food and beer served without pretension. Located in the Chicago suburbs, its clientele is a mix of married and single people of middle class backgrounds and better. It does a brisk happy hour, catering to commuters arriving at the nearby train station. On weekends, particularly over the lunch hour, it is a family- and dog-friendly neighborhood gathering spot.

The branding is designed to be simple, impactful and versatile to play well with a broad range of packaging designs and color palettes. The beers carry a primarily canine theme and the six pack cartons are designed for maximum shelf presence. Similarly, the cans and bottles are designed to have enough presence to be distinguishable at a tailgate party or backyard cookout. The two mortal enemies of fresh beer are air and sunlight, and cans are most effective against both. Smaller-batch special edition beers are bottled. The Dimension Triple IPA bottle is an anaglyphic 3-D image (contact me for a free pair of 3-D glasses).

The menu is designed to accommodate the entirety of offerings in one piece of collateral. Food on one side, beverages on the reverse. When attached to a clipboard, the beer menu is the serving mechanism for beer flights. The beer list is organized in a matrix from light to heavy and malty to hoppy, which allows for selection and shows how each beer relates to others. Tray liners and wraps are designed to reinforce the brand without competing with the presentation of the food.

This fall we are pleased to announce a new course with instructor Roni Feinstein.

Doug Aitken’s Art in Context

This class takes as its point of focus Doug Aitken: Electric Earth, an exhibition that offers the opportunity to review work of the past twenty years by this groundbreaking Los Angeles-based artist. Aitken is best known for his pioneering work in video art, which not only rethinks the parameters of video in terms of the architectural spaces it might inhabit, but also with regard to narrative and content. Any number of other artists, among them Bill Viola, Diana Thater, Pipilloti Rist and Ragnar Gunnarsson, also work with multi-screen video projections and Aitken’s work will be considered in relation theirs. Aitken’s artistic practice also includes photo-based work, sculpture, collage, Earthworks, multi-media performance, participation pieces and more and these too will be related to work by his contemporaries. It will be seen that while parallels maybe drawn between Aitken’s art and that of others, there is much that is unique and that sets his work apart. Defining these qualities will be among the class’s aim as the exhibition is explored in depth.

Here at UCLA Extension, we’re proud to welcome instructors from a wide range of professional and cultural backgrounds. Tzeitel Sorrosa is a multicultural creative director who brings her diverse experience to our Illustrator II online course beginning in winter quarter. Born in Costa Rica, Tzeitel was raised in Ecuador and received her education at Boston College.

She says, “My most valuable training, however, has come through my extensive travel, diverse areas of studies, and consistent curiosity to explore beyond the world around me.”

Below she shares how her artistic intuition has shaped her work, as well as some info on what you can expect in her upcoming course.

What brought you to this field?

During my childhood, I frequently expressed my thoughts, feelings, and wild ideas through doodles and sketches almost always with graphite or charcoal, and Stonehenge paper. In unstoppable mode, I graffiti-ed everywhere in school, including my text books, wooden desks and freshly-painted walls (to the chagrin of my teachers). Doodling has been an excellent channel of communication for me because it has given me much room for imagination to continue to explore freely across multi-surfaces and formats. I knew at a very young age I would be a fine artist, but I did not know I would evolve into a digital artist. Technology forced me to evolve. Mobile devices have become vehicles of unlimited potential for self-expression and imagination. These devices are all fueled with unlimited energy awaiting to be channeled through YOU to create surprisingly memorable and beautiful things.

Tell us about an especially rewarding project you’ve worked on and why you enjoyed it so much.

I creative directed and designed the American Diabetes Association’s Welcome Kit for newly diagnosed children with Type 1 diabetes. The concept for the packaging initially started out as a very complex hexagon resembling a sugar molecule, made up of tangram shapes that kids would unfold as colorful puzzle pieces. As much as this design was engaging and playful, the costs to produce it were prohibitive. In the many rounds of feedback from our stakeholders, the iterative process took us back to a simpler but more intuitive model. Yet, the final product was one that still embraced the three key emotions I wanted to convey in the initial welcome kit design: Courage. Wisdom. Hope.

The project felt very special from the start, but it was also a journey of discovery. In design, one of the most important steps to consider is the iterative process. As designers, we’re usually biased in favor of our very first idea, and we say “Eureka!” even before we build a prototype. Prototyping, however, is not just a way to test an idea, but is also a doorway to a more meaningful conversation about the needs of your users.

Teaching creative applications, such as Adobe Illustrator, is a doorway to constant learning. For the always-thirsty, curious mind, it creates not only a 2-way channel of giving and receiving, but an opportunity for collaboration and personal growth. There is always something new to learn from anyone and everyone, and you will be the beneficiary of a storehouse of perspectives, ideas, experiences, and information that you can later resource to in your next project.

Do you have a sample assignment?

In one of our assignments, we will be recreating IBM’s logo into 3D type miniature office buildings utilizing Illustrator’s powerful isometric tools.

On one of their recent field trips, instructor Lizy Dastin was able to arrange a meeting at Christina Angelina studio for her students in Exploring Street Art. They met with the artist to hear about her work and process, as well as get a close-up look at some works in progress.

From her website: Christina Angelina is an internationally renowned artist who was born, raised and is now based in Venice, California. Her rigorous work ethic led to the completion of 54 murals in 2014 alone.

Angelina’s favorite projects typically take place in remote locations, off the beaten path. She strives to provide a source of inspiration in communities relatively untouched by art. Her interactive process engages and forms lasting relationships with locals, which she then channels into a finalized piece. A thirst for adventure keeps her on the road, traveling and working.

While her highly sought-after work has beautified urban landscapes, it’s also strengthened surroundings for the following clients: Nike, Nylon Magazine, Microsoft, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, CAA,

Former students of instructor Neal Weisenberg’s Graphic Design for Broadcasting course have been thrilled not only with how much they’ve learned, but also with the valuable industry connections they’ve made through the course’s numerous studio field trips and guest speakers. We asked Neal to share a little more about the course with us:

What brought you to this field?
Broadcast design offers a designer and a creative individual so much variety in the type of work that is produced within Broadcast facility (tv, cable, agency, production company, etc).

Tell us about an especially rewarding project you’ve worked on and why you enjoyed it so much.
I was lucky enough to get to produce a Disney Channel TTI. (THE TIME I…) spot featuring my nephew, who happens to be my hero.

Why is your course, Graphic Design for Broadcasting, important for my Design education?
Broadcast design and graphics are so important to all areas of entertainment. This course will give you a taste of the “real” world agency/studio design field.

Do you have a sample assignment?
Below is a link to the type of work we will learning about and designing.

After recently completing the Photography Certificate, student Barbara Huber invites us to look further into how her journey began. Below, Barbara shares her personal work and experience taking photography courses.

Tell us about how you got interested in photography, and why you chose the UCLA Extension Photography Certificate.

My interest in photography goes way back – my mother gave me the equivalent of a Brownie when I was about 8 years old and then introduced me the basics of photography. With a hiatus of about 10 years, I’ve been taking and making(!) pictures ever since. There came the point when “dabbling” wasn’t enough anymore and I felt a serious desire to line my passion with real technical knowledge. An acquaintance with serious photo-graphic tendencies introduced me to the UCLA Certificate Program. It provided me with the right teachers and affordable classes, but also with the scheduling flexibility I needed as a professional with a demanding day job that other programs didn’t offer. The rest is history! It was fun, it was demanding because I took it very seriously.

For someone who is new to photography, what should they know about getting started?

Don’t fall into the equipment trap when you start out! It’s first and foremost the photographer who makes the picture. The process is the same for a cheaper model as it is for a super high end camera. Once you know what you want to and what you need to get there, it will be much easier to find the right camera that that fits that particular bill. As a beginner (and despite years of snapping away I would call myself that in the days before UCLA!) I didn’t even know what my needs were, and felt completely overwhelmed by so many choices. I see much clearer now.

What was your favorite UCLA Extension class and why?

Oh, where to start… I had fabulous teachers with a wealth of information on tap; it’s a hard decision to make. But if I really had to pick, there are two that stand out. History of Photography and the Portfolio Class. Both very demanding, but immensely rewarding.

Trying to replicate historic photographs and getting into the old masters minds was very challenging, but gave me a complete new understanding of the medium.

The Portfolio class really gives you yet another push when it comes to critical and especially self-critical evaluation. By then some of us had already found our voices (or at least were pretty close to finding it), and this class really gave us a last push over the edge to professionalism. I appreciated that particular guidance very much.

How have the UCLA Extension classes helped improve your work, and or expanded your professional development in the field?

For one, I work in the film industry and the technical knowledge I have gained has made an active participation in the world of post-production a) possible and b) really fun.

For two, it has helped explore and then focus on the underlying force that drives my creativity, which is a fascination with those hidden lines of non-verbal communication that form this invisible web all around us. It pretty much informs all of my photographic work now.

Where do you hope to take your practice in the future?

I’m working on setting up a collective of photographers and subsequently mount an exhibit of our work.

What are you working on right now?

For the moment I’m working on expanding a street photography portfolio I’ve started in class, and a separate project specifically involving street performers.

The Getty Design Studio placement that we oversee each quarter is an incredible opportunity for our DCA students to gain real world experience in one of Los Angeles’ top creative environments. This fall, Aneesha Bharadwaj was chosen for this special opportunity. She shares about her experience, including images of two of the projects she created, below:

What projects did you work on during your placement? What did you find rewarding about them?

I worked on real and ongoing projects with most of the designers at the Getty design studio.
I was involved in various projects including work for the Getty Education, Getty user surveys and research which was more user experience design related, Product sketches and CAD for monitor displays to be placed at the galleries. I was also glad to be a part of the recently opened exhibition Woven Gold: Tapestries of Louis XIV.
The most rewarding experience was that I got to work on projects with various skills like visual design & typography, product design and user experience design. Having my prior background in product design and now focusing on visual design and user experience was good for various type of projects.

What was it like being in a real design studio after being in the classroom for your DCA training?

It was the best experience for me to work outside the classroom in a real design studio as I got into the real world with real projects and deadlines. This training is required as it helped me to not only work on good design but also to make presentations, to collaborate with others, and to generate visitor/ user feedback on how well the finished product or project has evolved.
I was also grateful to be part of the Getty Toastmasters which is a monthly event on how one can improve their presentation and communication skills. This I feel is very essential as a designer–we have to sell and get other people excited about our concept.

What will you take away from this experience that will serve you in your future design career?

This experience has taught me to be more professional, dedicated, and passionate about the art and design industry. As a student you work for your portfolio but working at the Getty you work so that more visitors come who are curious and excited. It was also invaluable to work in a team, generating ideas, and presenting in front of clients. Showing your enthusiasm by not just delivering what is needed but doing much more that gives it the extra edge.
Having worked at the Getty has given me the direction I want my career to head towards. I am truly grateful to have been given this opportunity.

When Aneesha stopped by the office and shared her latest design from Henry Mateo’s Design II: Collateral Communication course, our director said, “You have to put that on the blog!” I’ve seen many final projects from this course and this, without a doubt, is the most innovative I’ve ever seen. We especially love how Aneesha boldly embraces the emerging sensing technology.

Aneesha writes:

Carpe Energia is a fictional event with the concept, ‘seize the energy’. Active and engaging for its audience, I made it interactive by using motion sensors with LED’s.

The LED’s respond in a gentle fashion to stimulus provided by human interaction. They light up as I wave my hand in front of the sensors- a slight twinkling ripple that spreads out to other areas as it dissipates. The effect is a like touching a pool of water into an overall gentle rippling, and eventually settles down.The poster is powered with a 24V power supply. I have covered the LED’s with Duralar paper and cut out holes for the senors.

The Type Treatment- event information on the left is screen printed (white ink) directly on the black board.